Rio De Janeiro, Jul 16 (AP) Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday banned setting agricultural and forest fires as the country enters the dry season at a moment when the government faces pressure from local and foreign companies to show greater commitment to environmental protection.

Bolsonaro's 120-day decree, published in the official gazette, comes just ahead of the period when fires are most common in the Amazon region, with rainfall is at its lowest.

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The law already requires permits for fires to clear brush and open land for farming, ranching or logging, but the requirement is widely ignored. The new decree allows fires in some cases, including those deemed healthy for plant life outside the Amazon and the Pantanal wetlands, or those set by indigenous people who engage in subsistence farming.

Bolsonaro took office in 2019 with plans to develop the Amazon region, and he has frequently denounced environmental restrictions hampering activity. Lately his government has sought to demonstrate its commitment to the environment, following international criticism last year, when deforestation reached its worst level in 11 years.

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Last week, Brazil's government proposed that global asset managers adopt protected areas in the Amazon rainforest in order to curb illegal deforestation ahead of the so-called “burning season.” That could entail providing financial support for environmental projects or paying for security to prevent people from entering the areas.

On July 7, dozens of Brazilian companies called for a crackdown on illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest, expressing their concerns in a letter. Before that, on June 23, a group of mostly European investment firms sent a joint letter to Brazilian ambassadors in their countries to express concern over rising Amazon deforestation.

Total deforestation in Brazil's Amazon from January to June was 1,890 square miles (3,069 square kilometers), up 25 per cent from the same six-month period last year, according to preliminary data from the national space agency. (AP) MRJ 07162210 NNNNct Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy was in effect — obligating gay and lesbian service members to be secretive about their sexual orientation.

“If they found out I was gay, I would have lost my scholarship,” she said. “I bring my entire self to this race — people want to get a sense of the life that you've lived.” In New York state, a gay, Black attorney, Mondaire Jones, was this week declared winner of the Democratic primary for a congressional seat opening up in New York City's northern suburbs. It's an overwhelmingly Democratic district, so Jones has a strong chance of becoming a history-maker in Congress — it's never had an openly LGBTQ Black member.

Jones could have company in breaking that barrier. Gay New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres, who is Afro-Latino, also has a good chance of winning a congressional seat in the Bronx. “Growing up poor, Black, and gay, I never imagined someone like me could run for Congress, let alone win,” Jones said in his primary victory statement.

Among other LGBTQ congressional candidates — all Democrats — are Beth Doglio in Washington state, Pat Hackett in Indiana, Alex Morse in Massachusetts, and Georgette Gómez in California. Gómez is currently president of the city council in San Diego, where a gay state legislator, Todd Gloria, is a leading contender in the race to become mayor.

The Victory Institute says the number of LGBTQ Black people and Hispanic people holding elected positions has doubled in the past three years — from 92 to 184.

During that same time period, the number of transgender elected officials rose from six to 26. In Delaware, Democratic candidate Sarah McBride is campaigning this year to become the first openly transgender person elected to a state senate anywhere in the U.S. Parker said LGBTQ elected officials have been leaders on a wide range of issues, including affordable housing, health care, immigration and gun control, as well as influencing debate on LGBTQ rights.

“When LGBTQ elected officials are in the halls of power, they change the hearts and minds of their lawmaker colleagues, defeat anti-LGBTQ bills and inspire more inclusive legislation,” she said. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)